How to Create an Online STEM Research Presence
Why is it Important to have an Online Research Presence?
Whether you’re a rising researcher or an established academic in your field, having an online research presence is extremely important for the visibility of your work. In an internet age, other researchers are going to Google and databases to find research that interests them. If you want you and your research group to gain credibility and recognition for your work, people need to see more than your name as an author on a paper. The only other better way for someone to learn about YOU and your research is by conferences and conference talks. But conferences are less accessible than the internet, especially for undergraduates and graduate students. So it’s valuable for you and the scientific community for you to have an online research presence. In this post, we’re going to go over some platforms so you can develop your online research profile!
6 Free Platforms for Creating Your Online Research Presence
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is one of the most important platforms for researchers. It is an online profile for listing your publication and presentation records. If something is not automatically discovered by Google, you can easily add records to your profile. Google Scholar also provides metrics such as your h-index and number of citations. If someone is looking for your publications, they are likely going to try and find your Google Scholar first. If you don’t have one, it can be a disappointment! Think of Google Scholar as a snapshot of your research profile. People will make a judgment about your and your research simply by looking at your Scholar profile!
Use a Google profile to sign up for a Google Scholar profile!
ORCID ID
ORCID IDs are unique alphanumeric identifiers that are used in labeling your research publications so others can find your research record. On your OCRID profile, you can include degrees, funding, presentations, society memberships, publications, and peer review records. You should make an ORCID ID early in your career so when you do start to become published, the internet can easily organize it for you!
Sign up for a free account on OCRID.org
Research Gate
Research Gate is like LinkedIn but for STEM academics! Research Gate is an online community for sharing publications, projects, your CV, conference presentations, and more! You can follow and connect with other researchers. In your profile, you can provide as much information as you want about yourself, your CV, and your projects. The platform is also integrated with your citations and publications, so you can keep track of metrics. Research Gate provides a deeper look into your research life than Google Scholar
There is also a section that includes job listings and question-and-answer forums. The question and answer section is a great resource if you have specific research questions and you want opinions from others in the field!
Sign up for a free account on ResearchGate.net
Publons
Publons is an online profile for sharing your peer review records. As an academic, you’ll likely do a lot of peer-review. Publons is a space for giving you a little more credit than that one line of your CV. It shares metrics on journals you reviewed for and the number of reviews.
Sign up for a free account at Publons.com
LinkedIn was one of the first places across the workforce for people to create an online CV and professional presence. While LinkedIn isn’t specific to STEM, it’s important that you have one. In today’s age, if you don’t have a LinkedIn when you apply for a job, it could be a red flag to employers. As a person in STEM, you can add a lot about your research to LinkedIn by adding publications, projects, and work experience. You can also upload sample work such as posters, presentations, and writing samples. LinkedIn is also a great space for sharing your research with the general public!
If you’re on the job or internship hunt, LinkedIn could be one of your best resources. You can easily connect and send messages to others and there are job listings. Before sending any messages, make sure your profile is robust. Add a summary and personal statement, but keep it direct and unique. Also, state here if you’re looking for a job! Make sure to include all relevant work, even if it’s from years ago. There are tons of sections you can add to your profile, think about it as an online resume!
Your Personal Social Media
Today, using social media is more accepted in the professional setting! You can leverage your social media to promote and discuss research on a personal or professional profile. People have even started to make careers out of having a professional social media profile. Instagram and TikTok have blown up as platforms for science communicators, educators, and students. They have become excellent tools for communicating science to the public and other academics. Academia has become more accessible by putting it on social media and it’s a great place to casually converse with other academics, students, and the public. If you don’t feel like using your personal profile for work and you want to keep it to cate videos, make a new profile. This also allows you to keep your professional and personal like separate!
Personal Website
More and more people are creating personal websites for themselves and for their research groups. By having a website, you have the power to put anything and everything on it! You also have all the space and design features available to make your website a reflection of you. Places like LinkedIn especially are used for job hunting, and recruiters only want to see the most relevant content to make a decision about you. On a website, you can include all the things that you might have left off of your LinkedIn. Think about it like this, if someone is on your website in the first place, they’re likely going to be willing to browse around and look at the things that might be overlooked on LinkedIn. So add those additional online courses you took and all the volunteering you did. A personal website is a place to shamelessly brag about yourself!
What are some other ways you can grow your online research presence?
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